Detergent compositions, e.g. liquid detergents, are well known. Typical applications include dish washing detergents, hand cleansers, and shampoos. Liquid detergents in particular have met with a high degree of acceptance due to their good cleaning performance and convenience of use.
Many detergent compositions, such as liquid hand dish washing detergents are comprised of two fundamental components, i.e. a surfactant base and a foam booster. The surfactant base, which usually consists of on or more anionic and/or nonionic surfactants, is largely responsible for the foam profile of the composition, i.e. initial copious foam height, volume, and density, and cleaning performance.
Liquid dish washing detergents can contain types of surfactants which are known to be more effective at removing specific types of soils. For example, anionic surfactants are known for their utility to remove carbohydrate and protein soils, while nonionic surfactants are especially useful for removing greasy and oily food soils. Mixtures of surfactants are commonly used to clean and remove complex soils which can be found on dishes and kitchen utensils.
For many detergents, especially liquid dish washing detergents, performance is commonly evaluated by the consumer in terms of the foaming and foam stability produced by the detergent. The consumer associates better performance with the presence of higher levels of foam and by foam that persists for extended periods of time even when exposed to various food soils. Dish detergent compositions on the market are designed to remove oily/greasy soils form glasses, dishes and other tableware and kitchen utensils while maintaining an acceptable level of foam. Consequently, there is an ongoing effort to make detergent compositions that clean and foam better and produce a more stable foam.
Foam boosters, which are also known as foam stabilizers or suds enhancers, are commonly used to prolong the persistence of the foam head generated during the dish washing process. Hand dish detergents are expected to produce copious amounts of foam in the presence of various food soils. Foam boosters provide the abundant, long-lasting foam that consumers perceive as being directly proportional to detersive utility.